title: Management of chylothorax with octreotide after congenital heart surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chylothorax is a rare complication of congenital cardiac surgery that can seriously impair the postoperative course unless treated properly. We present our treatment protocol and results with octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, in cases of chylothorax following congenital heart surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2006 and December 2009, 12 patients were treated for chylothorax following congenital cardiac surgery. Patients consisted of five females and seven males, with a mean age of 16.6 months (7 days - 36 months). Octreotide was administrated as a continuous intravenous infusion with a dosage of 4-10 µg/kg/h.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chylothorax was successfully resolved in an average of 10.3 days (7-14 days) with octreotide infusion and a strict oral diet containing medium-chain triglycerides. At a mean follow-up of 9.4 months (1-35), all patients are doing well, without any recurrence of chylothorax.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analog, is an effective and safe agent for the treatment of postoperative chylothorax and warrants further investigation in a larger series with a greater number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tatar
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatipoglu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aslamaci
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002916:Chylothorax / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D015282:Octreotide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D015282:Octreotide